Borgholzhausen, March 17, 2026 – The Savanna.NET® Warehouse Execution System from Westfalia Technologies, a Westphalian warehouse automation specialist, combines warehouse management and material flow control within a single interface, reducing the need for separate software and potentially error-prone interfaces. It can be integrated with any Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) or Production Planning (PP) system.
“The feature set adapts to individual processes and warehouse sizes,” says Esther Savelsberg, Software & IT Consultant at Westfalia Technologies GmbH & Co. KG. “This means we primarily offer a fully automated warehouse system with interfaces to robotic systems. However, we can also implement a compact solution for manual block storage, thereby replacing pen-and-paper-based inventory management. No more printed goods receipt and putaway lists, no more inventory or picking lists, and no subsequent, potentially error-prone manual entry into the system - instead, real-time booking. Savanna.NET® is highly customizable and scales with your needs.”
If a customer’s intralogistics grow, software changes and lengthy user training are unnecessary. Savanna.NET® is then simply expanded and adapted: “The transition from manual to fully automated storage and the integration of manual or semi-automated areas into the overall system runs seamlessly and on the same interface - the Savanna.NET® Software Suite.”
Highly compatible with ERP systems
Westfalia’s development team of about 40 people has experience in integrating and adapting to dozens of ERP systems. “This could be SAP, a small ERP system for SMEs, or even a PPS - we can map everything the customer uses,” says Esther Savelsberg: “This encompasses the integration of legacy file transfer interfaces as well as database integration via TCP/IP interfaces, all the way up to modern web-based REST interfaces.” The WES and Westfalia’s software engineering enable flexible scalability for changing use cases and long-term support for product versions, “even if customers modernize their ERP systems.”
Westfalia has already integrated its WES with the ERP systems SAP, ComArch, SEMIRAMIS, SOFTLINE, C3, GDI, SAGE, Navision, MS Dynamics 365 Business Central (BC), and SSH. “We determine which data Savanna® provides and which data the ERP system requires from Savanna®, and adapt these processes accordingly in each software,” says Savelsberg. “We are able to continuously expand and modify the system after the initial go-live.”
Paperless manual block storage
Savanna® manages manual block storage with or without storage location management via mobile data entry (MDE) instead of pen and paper. Using any data terminal - such as a workstation, forklift terminal, or industrial handheld device - you can determine the exact locations of storage units, check inventory, assign tasks, process them, and confirm completion at any time. This data does not need to be laboriously transferred into a system retrospectively. “Savanna® eliminates typical errors associated with manual warehousing and provides a solid foundation for growth, automation, and the optimization of intralogistics,” says Esther Savelsberg: “Digitalization offers extensive opportunities for analysis and ongoing inventory optimization, such as ABC analyses for the optimal product range structure, optimal warehouse utilization, and the fastest access to all pallets.”
Fully automated high-bay warehouse with route provision
The maximum solution with the WES “is the fully automated high-bay warehouse with a staging buffer for sequenced route provision for tens of thousands of storage locations, into which manual or fully automated picking solutions are integrated,” describes Adrian Pfreundschuh, Head of Software Engineering at Westfalia. Savanna® offers time-based, fully automated route provision, taking into account the required sequences and shortest transport routes. “We have implemented such sequencing buffers, for example, in the systems of one of the global market leaders in temperature-controlled logistics, Lineage Logistics, in Rotterdam, Lelystad, and Harnes.” Routes are prepared just-in-sequence in a separate buffer warehouse for loading, for example, onto container ships.
Order and item picking are possible before or during loading; material flows and warehouse management are optimized for higher performance or capacity. “This means, for example, that the software prioritizes order picking during peak shipping times. Afterward, the transport capacities of conveyor and warehouse technology are refocused on the storage of goods,” says Pfreundschuh. “How priorities and processes are set depends heavily on how the warehouse and material flow are structured. Savanna® independently decides, based on warehouse utilization, the order in which it processes tasks. Many warehouse systems prioritize order picking during the day and start automated storage at night. This allows batches from production to be moved into the warehouse overnight.”
“We optimize warehouse logistics in multiple stages and, depending on the use case, with different priorities such as performance, capacity, cost savings, space savings, and orderliness, to ensure full inventory control and secure, error-free processes. The key is to find the right balance between performance and capacity.” Savanna® includes various standard warehouse strategies that can be individually combined or configured: “With Savanna®, we achieve the optimal result.”
Label printing, multidimensional compartment management, and robotics
In both manual and automated systems, Savanna® can generate labels, for example, for the storage or regrouping of goods on pallets. The WES handles multidimensional compartment management and central blocks that can be operated flexibly and fully from both sides. Different formats of storage units are combined in storage channels. “This is of interest, for example, to the wood industry and corrugated cardboard manufacturers, who need to store unusual formats in a space-saving manner,” explains Esther Savelsberg.
The WES also seamlessly integrates robotic systems such as picking robots or AMRs. As part of the WORTMANN Group, Westfalia will expand its portfolio in the future to include AI-controlled robotics in industrial environments - for example, for warehouse cleaning or order picking.
Strong in mid-sized solutions for small and medium-sized businesses
When it comes to mid-sized solutions, Westfalia fully leverages its strengths, according to Savelsberg: “From SMEs for SMEs, with direct, straightforward implementation, featuring partially or fully automated processes.” These customers typically require a larger warehouse, “but not an oversized one. Possibly without robotics, without complex order picking, but with precision conveyor technology and integration with an ERP system.”
The key is striking the right balance between standardization - which makes the WES easier and more cost-effective to maintain - and individual “fine-tuning”: “We go through the processes, identify areas for improvement, advise on designing the ideal solution, and implement exactly the warehouse that suits the customer. With features that truly make a difference in day-to-day logistics.”
